I don't think that nursing causing cramping during pregnancy should be
looked at in isolation.  Sometimes preterm labor is very subtle until it
gets to the point that it can not be easily stopped.  I think the best
recourse would be to teach her the signs of preterm labor: menstrual like
cramps (of course :-), diarrhea, pelvic pressure, changes in discharge
(particularly to mucousy or bloody), a feeling that the baby is balling up
or abdominal cramping.  I don't think this is done often enough.

If she is having any (not usually all) of these when she is not nursing, she
should empty her bladder, drink a quart of water, lay on her side until it
stops, and notify her doctor or midwife.  In that case, the nursing may
indeed be problematic as giving her uterus another reason to contract,
especially if there are cervical changes.

I think that too often, mothers do not know how to express what they are
feeling in preterm labor, and I would be concerned that maybe her question
had more beneath the surface.

In the absence of any other symptoms, it may be perfectly normal.

Hope that helps,
Melanie Young,
IBCLC, LLLL,
Smithfield, NC, USA

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